By Karn Jilek
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
After decades of living in North Dakota, my husband retired in 2022 and we finally had the freedom to choose anywhere in the country to build our forever home. We chose New Mexico. We weighed scenery, culture, cost of living, local politics and pace of life. New Mexico checked most boxes and it felt like the right place for us. We built our dream home in Rio Rancho, made friends quickly and believed we had found our permanent place.
We did not see the crisis that would undo that certainty. We assumed good health insurance meant access to care, but we were devastatingly wrong.
(Originally published by Albuquerque Journal, December 28, 2025)